Finally, Jimmy Fallon Gets Something Right

I don’t know if you’ve been watching the slow-motion car crash that’s been Jimmy Fallon’s first week as the new host of Late Night, but suffice to say he’s having a hell of a hard time filling even one of Conan’s shoes, let alone both. Lucky for him that he also happens to have the most badass house band ever- The Roots– because they’ve already saved his ass from the fires of Fail more than once.

Last night’s show was no exception; after a painfully awkward interview with the hulk of a man lady that is Serena Williams (what kind of fratty bullshit is beer pong? Come on), Fallon introduced Ludacris, who was joined by The Roots for a medley of songs (Last Of A Dying Breed and I Do It For Hip-Hop) from his Theater Of The Mind album. And it killed.

Admittedly, seeing Black Thought as a hype man is strange- the impression that The Roots might just be too good for this gig never quite leaves the room, but I suppose that’s just something we’re going to have to get used to. Jimmy could lend a hand with that by stepping up his game a good three or four notches, because as it stands he’s being consistently outshined by the people who are supposed to keep the crowd amped during the commercials.

Johnny Firecloud's been kickin' names and takin' ass since his first interview in 2001 with A Perfect Circle, 6 years before starting AQ with Kevin Cogill. He also spent ten years as music editor/senior writer at CraveOnline.

We didn’t go from Conan to this. Conan’s moving, and his audience will move as well. Fallon’s got a lot of work to do, for sure, but none of these hosts ever come out strong. Conan’s first few weeks on the job were a mess. Besides, JF’s made a world of progress in four shows’ time, so there’s hope. He’s a quick study.

I admit the idiot tag was unfair. And true, Conan is still gonna be on, and I remember his first few weeks were pretty awful at times to watch. I just meant the change in the level of competence. I know Jimmy’s still working out the kinks, and don’t get me wrong, he can be funny, I just think there’s a difference between doing a straight sketch comedy show and doing the late night talk thing, and I don’t see him as the host type. If he can do stuff like some of the wacky shit that made him funny on SNL(if they let him) and still keep up his end of a conversation, he might make it.

Hi, first I want to congratulate on his blog.
I love the heart of Rock and learned that you put songs from Guns n Roses (Chinese Democracy disk) on your blog down.
Please, I do not see the songs in your blog, please, how can it?
You send me by email (marciosantosblu@gmail.com) or tells me how to download?
Attended several tours of Guns in Brazil.
Help me find the songs leaked to the net.
Thanks, waiting for their response, and will visit your blog often.
Greetings
Márcio Santos
Blumenau – Brazil

As much as I like “Seed 2.0,” I recently learned that the Roots give money in support of Mumia Abu Jamal, and I just can’t get down with that. They have gotten some cash from me in the form of ticket sales, though, as I saw them as part of a bill a few years back.

i’m from philly, and know all about the mumia thing… i can’t get down with him either. if you’re uneducated, mumia abu jamal is a black man that didn’t get a fair trial after “allegedly” shooting a white cop. and “free mumia” sounds like a reasonable shout, and donating money to help the guy get a fair trial sounds like a good idea.
but then i did a little research, and mumia wasn’t picked out of a lineup. in front of witnesses, he walked up to daniel faulkner, shot him like five times, and took a shot in the leg from the cop’s gun. in the hospital, he admitted to shooting faulker, hoping out loud to witnesses that “the mother fucker dies.”
he’s a cop killer, plain and simple.
it makes sense that the roots would donate to his support being black dudes with a little money from philly. and i personally dig their music (and music in general) too much to let it deter me from appreciating it. but that’s a valid beef.